


Romeo, Romeo

by Apharine



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29319903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apharine/pseuds/Apharine
Summary: Gordie is determined to make his first Valentine's with Aviva special.  He knows he wants to do something big for her for the special day - he just isn't sure what.Fortunately, he's got plenty of people to help him figure it out.
Relationships: Makuwa | Gordie/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tubular](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tubular/gifts).



> I am SO EXCITED to be bringing some Godiva Valentine's goodness this year...have I mentioned just how much I adore this ship before? I'm sure I have, but it's worth mentioning again - Gordie and Aviva are great!
> 
> Aviva belongs to my friend Jackie, who goes by popsalts on Twitter, and is used here with permission! Please go look at Jackie's Twitter to see some amazing art of a fantastic ship if you are somehow unfamiliar with her work!

Gordie’s first thought when he wakes up one January morning is how incredibly lucky he is. It’s an easy thought to have, after all, when one opens their eyes blearily and is greeted by the sight of the woman they love, occupying the adjacent space in their bed. It’s a sight Gordie’s not sure he’ll ever get enough of, and he shifts in bed, turning onto his side to allow himself to drape one arm gently over Aviva’s waist.

How is he so lucky? To have her as his partner - to have someone who genuinely cares about him and loves him -

It’s something he can’t believe he’s found.

“Mm,” Aviva murmurs, stirring in her sleep in response to Gordie’s slight movements. Automatically, she turns towards him, reaching for him and nestling into his chest, and Gordie feels his heart soar. He raises one hand to the back of Aviva’s head, tangling his fingers into her thick - yet soft - purple hair as he pulls her into him more fully. Is she awake, he wonders?

But no; she doesn’t stir again, except to automatically nuzzle into him just a little more. He listens for one quiet moment as her breathing evens out again; when a tiny snore escapes her, he knows she is, truly, still asleep.

Gordie lets out a small contented sigh, closing his eyes and holding his beloved a little tighter than before. She’s so delightfully soft, and so warm; her embrace is a welcome respite from the constant chill of Circhester, made only chillier by the mid-winter air. If he could, he’d stay here, all day, with her, talking with her about anything and everything. He wants to hear everything important to her - whether it’s about Chandelure’s Chapters, or her new plot ideas for the children’s books she thinks she may someday write, featuring a spunky and clever heroine named Madeline, or even just about what she wants for dinner. If it’s important to Aviva, it’s important to him.

But alas, Gordie knows he doesn’t have all day to spend with her; he has a morning training session with some of his Gym Trainers planned, and this is, unfortunately, followed up by some necessary time in the afternoon set aside for paperwork and the other bureaucratic intricacies of being a Gym Leader.

Gordie finds himself looking forward to the end of his day already. For now, though, he closes his eyes and tries to let sleep overtake him. He has a little while to go until his alarm, after all.

Unfortunately for Gordie, his mind is already too awake to allow himself to fall asleep quite so easily. After a few minutes of absently playing with Aviva’s hair and wishing he could will himself asleep, he instead decides to just give up and accept his wakeful state.

Very carefully, so as not to disturb his partner, Gordie reaches and grabs his Rotom Phone where it’s been charging on the nightstand. He checks to make sure it’s still on Silent Mode first - the last thing he needs is his over-enthusiastic Rotom, greeting him and waking up Aviva, after all. Then, satisfied that all is well, he swipes down to look at his notifications.

The first thing that comes up is a calendar alert, which tells him he has exactly 1 month until Valentine’s Day.

Gordie frowns at the notification for a moment, more awake than ever.

It’s one month until Valentine’s Day, and he genuinely has no idea what he’s going to get Aviva.

His mind races a moment; he’s never had a difficult time thinking up the perfect gift for any occasion for her - and, more often than not, he even thought up the perfect gift for no occasion. Gift giving is one of his main love languages, after all, and there truly is very little he enjoys more than finding the perfect thing that will surprise Aviva and make her light up with joy. He enjoys it all the more when she  _ isn’t _ expecting anything in particular, and, as a result, he’s impulse-bought quite a few more fancy soaps than he feels he should admit to.

But, really, there’s only so many soap sets you can buy a person, and Gordie’s pretty sure he passed that limit some time ago.

He’ll need to buy her something else, then. 

The only problem is - what?

So many of the things that Aviva takes delight in are just….ordinary things. Gordie doesn’t want to think of them as mundane, because they’re not boring, per se - they’re nice, and fun, and uniquely  _ her _ , but at the same time, it’s not exactly as if hand-poured candles or books on astrology are hard to come by these days.

And Gordie wants to get her something that  _ is _ hard to come by. He wants a gift that’s special, a gift that stands head and shoulders above the rest and proclaims his admiration and love for her, loud and clear.

He just needs to figure out what, exactly, that gift should be.

* * *

Gordie immediately sets about the task of doing a little bit of recon, beginning with his morning training session.

“Abigail, if you were to get Aviva a gift,” he begins, glancing over to the young woman he’s paired up with and training with. Not far from the both of them, her Boldore fires off quick Rock Blasts at Shuckle, who’s focusing on deftly dodging each blow. The drill is going smoothly enough that Gordie feels he can turn away from their Pokemon for a moment. “And by a gift, I mean something other than -”

“Candles or soap? Or astrology - related items?” Abigail asks perceptively, a slight smile passing over her features.

“Um. Yeah,” Gordie mumbles, beginning to blush. Is he really so predictable? And does he really buy Aviva so many little trinkets that even his Gym Trainers have him pegged to a T?

“Well...does she like warm drinks? She seems like the type to,” Abigail offers, then frowns at her Boldore. “Hey - don’t think you can cheat by sneaking in a little bit of a Rock Tomb with that, mister! Rock Blast only!”

The Boldore makes an apologetic grumble, and Shuckle, true to form, makes a very smug chirping noise.

“If she does,” Abigail says, turning her attention back to Gordie. “You could get her hot chocolate bombs. They’re the new thing, you know. But if that doesn’t seem up her alley, you could always get her a gift card to that new little Pokemon cafe that opened down the street from her bookshop.”

Gordie frowns; that’s a perfectly good idea, in all honesty, and aligns with what he’d usually buy his partner. But it’s just not quite what he’s looking for, somehow.

“Okay, yeah, that’s - that’s actually a good thought. Maybe I’ll pick up some hot chocolate bombs tonight,” he muses, completely unable to resist the thought of having a little something to bring home to Aviva. He can’t help it; he just loves seeing her light up from the littlest of things. “But….I guess I was thinking more for Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh?” Abigail says, a spark in her eye. “Boldore! Hold up, okay? This is important!”

“Bol,” her Pokemon replies, plopping down heavily on the ground, and Gordie is pretty sure that’s Boldore-ese for  _ I sure don’t mind taking a break _ . 

“So you want to do something big for Aviva for Valentine’s, then,” Abigail says, a coy smile coming to her lips.

“Yeah. That’s….pretty much it, to be honest,” Gordie admits with a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.

“So, then, just do something big!” Abigail grins. “Go wild! Take her out to dinner somewhere really fancy, like Hotel Ionia, or the Captain’s Table! They both do surf and turf Valentine’s specials by candlelight, you know.”

“I don’t know if she’d really want something super fancy like that, though,” Gordie frowns. As willing as he’d be to spend the money on her - Arceus, he’d even take her to Rose of the Rondelands, if she wanted - he’s not sure that an overpriced meal in an excessively opulent setting is really something that would make Aviva feel comfortable and valued.

“No? It’s just a dinner,” Abigail says, shrugging. “But okay. If that’s not her thing, there’s still a lot of other things you could do!”

“Like what?” Gordie asks, picking up his Shuckle, who has crawled over to him and has begun biting at his shoelaces, clearly looking for praise and attention.

Or to be returned to Aviva’s bookstore post-haste. Gordie knows that Shuckle would far prefer to be able to stay there for the rest of the week than to have to train with him here, at the Gym.

“Off the top of my head…you could get her front row tickets to her favorite concert, or make her breakfast in bed and dinner at home and give her a pretty piece of jewelry hidden in her dessert, or even order one of those Heart-A-Gram things where they deliver a big bouquet of roses and have someone sing a message to your beloved,” Abigail offers.

Gordie can’t help but cringe, imagining the horror poor Aviva would likely feel upon seeing someone dressed up as a walking heart, barging into Chandelure’s Chapters, singing and bearing one of those oversized, gaudy bouquets.

That being said, breakfast in bed might be up her alley. And if he just replaced her favorite concert with her favorite musical, that would be something she’d like, too.

“Those are some good ideas,” is all he says, then pats Abigail’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

“Let me know how everything works out, yeah?” Abigail beams.

“I will,” Gordie agrees, feeling somewhat heartened to at least have a couple ideas.


	2. Chapter 2

By the end of the evening, Gordie is returning home to Aviva, hot chocolate bombs in hand and a spring in his step.

After a short bit of research, he’d discovered that  _ Felines _ , the musical, is making its Galarian debut in mid-summer, and, fortunately for him, tickets are due to go up for pre-order next week. Gordie has a reminder set in his phone to make sure he’s awake and on their website at midnight the night pre-orders open - and he has a reminder for his reminder, and one extra, just to boot.

Tickets to this, he’s sure, will be right up his partner’s alley - it’s Aviva’s favorite musical, after all, which is saying a lot, given her secret theater kid proclivities.

As he hands Aviva the little gift bag filled with hot chocolate bombs, he’s unable to stop smiling, imagining how wonderful it’s going to be to see her open his card to her for Valentine’s - and find front-row tickets inside.

And she will absolutely get front-row tickets, because no matter how expensive they may be, he’ll gladly pay the price. She deserves nothing less than the best, after all, he thinks, then pulls her into a gentle kiss.

* * *

Gordie stops worrying about his Valentine’s gift for the next few days. He knows, after all, that he’s got the right idea when Aviva lets slip about her interest in the upcoming  _ Felines _ preorders while they’re making dinner together one night.

“Yeah, tickets are going on preorder in just a couple days,” Aviva explains, adding some seasoning to the curry they’re making. “Friday morning, actually.”

“Is that so?” Gordie asks, trying to feign ignorance.

“Yeah! I’m actually, like, wicked excited about it,” she admits, a smile stretching her pretty features as she sets down the seasoning and instead begins to stir the pot. Gordie leans forward on the counter, enraptured by her beauty and her enthusiasm. “It’s the  _ Galarian Premiere,  _ you know? This is, like, huge in the musical theater community. And it’s going to be happening in Wyndon - that’s not even that far away! It’s just - it’s rad, and I’m sorry to gush about it, I just…”

“Don’t apologize,” Gordie says quickly, waving her concerns away. “You should never apologize for sharing something you’re passionate about with me, Vi.”

Aviva lights up at his use of her nickname, and Gordie can’t help but smile a little, too, feeling color rise to his cheeks. It’s really too adorable, the way that she gets genuinely excited - and a little flustered - over something as simple as his pet name for her.

“Thank you,” she smiles, dropping her eyes almost shyly.

Ugh, how is Gordie supposed to be able to resist her?

He moves over to her, standing behind her, and slips his arms around her waist, setting his chin on her shoulder. Aviva hums at his embrace, leaning back into him slightly.

“So are you going to try to get tickets, then?” Gordie mumbles into her neck, planting kisses on the skin he finds there gently.

“I was thinking about it,” Aviva admits, a slight smile continuing to pull at her lips. “The only problem is that the preorder goes live at midnight.”

“That’s not so late,” Gordie says, though he’s certain she’s begun to feel the way that his heart is hammering against his ribcage. If she manages to get tickets for herself, his big Valentine’s idea is out the window - and he’ll have to find something else to get her, instead.

“Midnight, Johto time. The company that processes the tickets right now are based out of Johto. It’s stupid,” Aviva sighs. 

“So - wait, if it’s midnight Johto time, what time does that make it for us?” Gordie asks, frowning as he tries to do the time-zone math.

“Three AM,” Aviva says flatly. “Shop’s open the day that pre-orders go up, so I don’t really know if I can stay up and get tickets.”

“Why don’t you let me, then?” Gordie says, perhaps a little too quickly. “I have Friday off, so….”

If he’d been a little too fast with his suggestion, Aviva doesn’t seem to notice. Mercifully, she simply sets her wooden spoon down, turning in Gordie’s arms to face him.

“You…don’t have to do that for me,” she murmurs quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Just the fact that you would even offer means a lot, actually.”

“I would gladly do it for you, though,” Gordie hums in response, taking her chin in hand gently and pulling her into a kiss. “Three AM, Friday morning.  _ Felines _ tickets, here we come.”

Even as he says the words, his mind is going a mile a minute. The tickets won’t be a surprise anymore, sure - but he can certainly grab a hold of some backstage meet and greet passes, or one of those VIP packages or whatever, and hold off on telling her about it until Valentine’s.

Yes, he decides, letting himself melt against Aviva’s lips even more. That will work wonderfully.

* * *

That Friday morning, Gordie is busy having an existential crisis over how avid  _ Felines _ fans apparently are.

Yes, he’d gotten tickets - front row tickets, no less - but that wasn’t the  _ surprise _ anymore. What he really needed, at this point, was the backstage VIP passes. There’s five different packages, each named after one of the main characters of the play, and somehow, all have sold out within  _ three minutes _ .

How is that possible? Gordie refreshes the website, blinking his bloodshot eyes at the screen. Surely, something was wrong, and when the screen loaded again, he’d be able to get at least one of the VIP packages.

But no. The website proclaims that all VIP packages are sold out. Holy shit, Gordie thinks. Three minutes, and they’re all gone. He’s pretty sure that  _ Felines  _ fans are more avid than even his fans, and that, he considers with a grimace, is saying something.

Gordie checks out as quickly as he can, desperate to at least get the front row seats. Fortunately, he manages to snag two, and his Rotom Phone buzzes with a confirmation email.

Just for fun, Gordie decides to go back to the website and check to make sure the VIP Packages really are all sold out. He’s way more desperate for that backstage pass than he’d like to admit.

But when he clicks to the page, the website takes an exceptionally long time to load - and then finally times out, crashing and displaying only a blank page.

Unbelievable. The Galarian  _ Felines  _ fans have managed to crash the preorder page at four in the freaking morning.

He tries a couple times more, just to make sure, but the result is the same.

Gordie groans and tips his head back, then clamps one hand over his mouth when he realizes what he’s done. Aviva is, after all, sound asleep in the next room; he doesn’t want to wake her.

Still, he can’t believe musical theater is such a big deal.

Just for fun, he decides to check a couple ticket resale pages to see if any of the VIP packages have wound up there. There were always scalpers and bots looking to turn a profit, right?

But ten minutes later, he’s five websites in, and nothing is turning up. He signs up for email notifications, just in case someone lists something within the next few days. Then, more than a little disheartened, Gordie closes his laptop and decides to head back to bed. Things hadn’t worked out the way he’d hoped, but there’s no use perusing the internet for hours, looking for something that isn’t there. He just has to hope that something will be posted in the near future, and in the meanwhile, he needs to go get at least a few hours of sleep. As quietly as possible, he crawls into the sheets next to Aviva, hoping not to disturb her.

But Aviva stirs, turning towards him and opening her eyes just a crack.

“Mm,” she hums sleepily. “Any luck?”

“Yeah,” Gordie sighs, laying down and wrapping his arm around her waist. “Got two tickets to the opening show.”

“You don’t sound happy,” Aviva murmurs, and Gordie kicks himself mentally. Why had he sounded so miserable when he’d said he got tickets?!

“Oh - no, I’m happy, I swear,” Gordie stammers, trying to think of a cover up. Ultimately, though, he has none, so he decides to tell Aviva the truth. “I just - I wanted to get you one of the VIP packages, but they sold out super fast. I’m sorry, Vi,” he sighs into her hair. “I really had hoped to surprise you with good seats and a backstage pass.”

“Oh, Gordie,” Aviva mumbles into his shoulder, pulling him tight. “That’s actually really sweet of you. Thank you for even thinking of that. Backstage passes go super fast, though.”

“Yeah. They were sold out within three minutes,” Gordie laments.

“Arceus, I can imagine,” Aviva laughs drowsily. “Tell me one thing, though.”

“Anything,” Gordie murmurs.

“How bad are our seats?”

“Oh, we’re in the front row,” Gordie says around a yawn. To his surprise, Aviva stiffens up in his arms, then pulls back, her eyes wide as she regards him carefully.

“Did - did you say  _ front row _ ?” She asks.

“Yeah,” Gordie says, beginning to close his eyes as he pulls her close once more. There’s nothing quite as wonderful - or as soothing - as being close to his partner; he always falls asleep faster with Aviva around.

Except a moment later, Aviva rolls onto her back, grabbing a spare pillow on the bed and pressing it over her face as she screams into it.

Gordie, suddenly very awake, props himself up on one elbow, his eyes wide.

“Vi?” He asks, more than a little concerned. “Are you -”

“Front!  _ ROW!” _ Aviva exclaims a moment later, throwing the pillow unceremoniously aside. Within moments, she rolls on top of Gordie. “Do you have any idea how totally tubular this is?! This - this is beyond rad! This is - it’s - oh, I don’t even know how to describe it!” She laughs, and Gordie can’t help but smile a little, too.

Before he can say anything else, she kisses him for all he’s worth.

At least she’s happy about this, he considers, but it’s still not the Valentine’s surprise he wants.

Hopefully a VIP package can pop up sometime soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Aviva is, for lack of a better word, extremely spirited over the next few days. Gordie’s aware that it’s a cheesy way to think of a Ghost-type Trainer, but it’s true nonetheless.

There’s a pep in her step and a gleam in her eye, and on the few occasions he manages to slip into Chandelure’s Chapters without her noticing him, he hears her humming some songs from the  _ Felines _ musical while she tidies her bookshelves. On this particular day, he dusts off some of the snow that has settled on his jacket shoulders and pads, quietly, over to the large window at the front of the store. Some time ago, he’d made a bit of a reading nook for himself there, with a small chair and a lamp and a couple of the books he’d been working his way through. The spot had turned out to be fairly popular among customers, too, and Aviva had ultimately wound up keeping it.

As he settles into the chair and fishes out the book he’d been reading from a small wicker basket, he’s grateful she had decided to let the reading nook stay. Being here, by her - without disturbing her - is a relief for him right now. Everything in life just seems…difficult right now. His Trainers are hitting a wall at the Gym, Shuckle has refused to go to the Gym at all, a huge snowstorm is predicted to hit Circhester in a few days, and, perhaps worst of all, for all his efforts, he’d been unable to turn up even a single VIP pass for Aviva. Everything that he’d read on  _ Felines  _ forums (a corner of the internet he never imagined he’d explore) indicated that the odds of one turning up for re-sale have been, historically, extremely low, which had plummeted his hopes even further.

Ultimately, he’d decided to scrap the idea for now, but Valentine’s Day is still fast approaching, and he still needs something good to give Aviva.

He’d tapped all his Gym Trainers after a less-than-spectacular training session today, and to their credit, they’d all been willing to help. Unfortunately, their help hadn’t been exactly…helpful. Abigail, Kiera, and Wendy had gone back and forth, making suggestions of increasingly grandiose gifts. Poor Oliver had been fairly dumbfounded; ultimately, the brainstorming session had ended at Kiera’s suggestion of an all-inclusive cruise to Alola, which all the girls had agreed would be the best possible Valentine’s gift imaginable.

Despite their enthusiasm and consensus, Gordie had withered at the idea; Aviva had never been a fan of humidity, and he’s fairly sure that other destinations would be higher on her list.

But, he considers, where would she want to go? And is a trip really what he wants to surprise her with for their first Valentine’s together? He can’t put his finger on it, exactly, but he wants his gift to her to be….special. More than special, actually. Most people would consider a trip to Alola or tickets to a musical or even a piece of jewelry special, but none of them sound right in Gordie’s mind.

He wants something more for her, something meaningful in a way he can’t quite explain. 

Gordie sighs in frustration, absently tracing the intricate curls of frost that have formed on the window with one finger. The ice melts gradually under his warm touch, leaving little holes in the pattern that nature had formed, but Gordie hardly notices.

He’s too busy thinking about ice, and one particular Ice-type user, who might just be able to help him more than anyone else has.

He really doesn’t want to do this, but he’s out of options, isn’t he?

Before he can pull out his phone, though, Aviva spots him.

“How long have you been there?” She asks, moving over and planting a kiss on Gordie’s cheek.

“Long enough to have heard a song or two,” Gordie chuckles, tipping her chin in a way that allows him to kiss her on the lips, properly.

“You look….tired,” Aviva murmurs, stroking some of his hair back from his forehead. Gordie sighs and leans into her touch subconsciously; how is it that she knows him so well and can read him so easily?

“I guess I kinda am,” Gordie admits with a sigh. “It was just a long day at the Stadium, is all.”

“Mm,” Aviva sighs, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. Arceus, Gordie thinks; she’s so cute, he wants to kiss her again. But before her manages to, Minerva, Aviva’s Mismagius and closest Partner Pokemon, appears over Aviva’s shoulder, making a curious noise. “You can hug him if you want, girl,” Aviva laughs, moving to allow the Mismagius to float closer to Gordie. “But you know it feels a little weird sometimes.”

“Mis,” Minerva says, floating closer to Gordie. She does her best to give Gordie something resembling a hug, but Aviva is right; it does feel…odd. He’s simultaneously too hot and too cold, and his skin is crawling where the ghost makes contact with him. Though he does his best to keep a cool demeanor, an involuntary shiver passes down his spine, and Minerva pulls back.

“Thanks, girl,” Gordie offers, shuddering once more.

“Mis!” Minerva chirps, moving to go in for another hug.

“Ah - Minerva, that’s probably enough,” Aviva says gently, gesturing her Pokemon away. “You know not everyone is used to Ghost-type energy the way I am. We don’t wanna overwhelm poor Gordie,” she laughs, rubbing his arm affectionately. Gordie is surprised to find the sensation somewhat numbed for a moment; then, gradually, feeling begins coming back. “But thank you for thinking of him. Would you mind taking this book back to its spot on the shelf, though?” She asks, grabbing another one of the books from the wicker basket by the chair - one that Gordie hadn’t put there. “I think it’s time we put this one away once more.”

“Magius,” Minerva agrees, somehow managing to use her front ribbon-like appendages to take the book from Aviva. Then, she floats off dutifully, leaving only the two humans.

“Sorry,” Aviva laughs softly. “She’s not exactly a cute, fluffy little thing…but she means well, all the same.”

“It’s fine,” Gordie insists, moving his arm just to make sure he can. To his relief, he’s not paralyzed the way one would be from a Gastly Lick or something similar, so he wraps his arms around Aviva’s hips, pulling her close. “I’m not exactly the CEO of small, fluffy Pokemon, anyway. Hugs from Rock-Type Pokemon aren’t much comfier than Ghost-Type hugs, you know.”

“Fair,” Aviva laughs, taking a seat in his lap, much to his surprise. He holds her soft body close, unable to resist nuzzling into her hair. “Sometimes I wish one of us  _ did _ have a Pokemon that was soft and fluffy and cute, though. It’d be nice to have something comfy to hold and cuddle, you know?”

“Well,” Gordie smiles, beginning to pepper her face with kisses. “That may be true, but in the meanwhile, I’m glad I have you.”

And, he thinks, he’s determined to make sure she knows it this Valentine’s Day.

* * *

It takes Gordie a few days to work up the nerve to call his mother. It’s not that he expects the call to go badly, per se - it’s just that it might, and whether or not it does, it’s still hard for him to admit that he needs her advice.

Still. He does need it, so he prepares himself to endure the Gordie Fan Club spiel and gives her a ring while he walks home from the Stadium.

“Gordie!” His mother’s delighted voice practically squeals the moment she answers her phone. Gordie cringes, holding his Rotom Phone away from his ear, trying to protect himself from the shrill feedback that results. “My sweetheart! To what do I owe the pleasure of this call? Are you all right, honey? Are you and Aviva all stocked up for that snowstorm? You know if you need bread, the grocery stores are out already, but I’ve got an extra loaf with your name on it -”

“Mom,” Gordie tries; Melony doesn’t hear him, though, only continuing to talk. “Mom.  _ Mom,  _ I have bread, and I have milk, and I’m doing fine, okay?” 

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Melony says, completely unfazed.

Arceus.

“I’m calling because I…." Gordie trails off, feeling his mouth go dry. “I need help with a problem, and I think you can help me solve it.”

He might as well have told her Arceus was descending straight into one of his empty Pokeballs for all the excitement that erupts from the phone.

“Baby, you know your number one fan is happy to help you solve  _ any  _ problem!” His mother proclaims. “That’s what I’m here for! I’m  _ so glad  _ you came to me for help…in fact,” Melony says, a tiny hiccup in her voice emerging. “I - I’m…touched. My baby boy, trusting me to help him…”

“P-please don’t cry,” Gordie stammers, feeling his face heat up. This was exactly why he avoided calling his mother; she could be so over-bearing and over-the-top about everything! “It’s - it’s not a big deal. I can just call back later if you’re going to be upset,” he adds, already wondering if maybe he could get away with saying that and then not bringing the topic up again.

“No, no, no,” Melony insists, her teary theatrics suddenly disappearing. “I want to help. Tell me what’s going on, baby.”

Gordie grimaces at the use of the pet name; why hadn’t she dropped the  _ baby _ bit when he was, like, eight? Nevertheless, he shakes his head and presses on. This isn’t about his many grievances with his mother. This is about Aviva, and that’s what makes enduring this call worth it.

“I want,” Gordie begins, then has to remind himself to ungrit his teeth while he speaks. “To get Aviva a Valentine’s present.”

“Okay,” Melony prompts in a tone that clearly encourages him to continue.

“But not just any Valentine’s present. I want to get her something nice. Something really special,” he says, and suddenly, everything comes tumbling out of his mouth. He tells his mother about everything - his attempt at getting Aviva backstage passes to  _ Felines _ , his brainstorming session with his Trainers, and, most importantly, the way that every idea that comes to him just feels…inadequate.

“Of course it does, sweetie,” Melony says gently. “You want something that’s more than special. You’re looking for something that tells her how much you love her. Something that speaks to the future you want to share with her.”

Gordie pauses dead in his tracks, feeling a bolt of electricity tingle down his spine. At the same time, he becomes vaguely aware that the sky has opened up, dropping heavy flakes of snow onto the earth below.

“Arceus,” he curses softly. “That’s exactly it. I - how did you know that’s what I meant?”

Melony giggles on the other end.

“Because I’m your  _ mom _ , sweetie,” she beams, and Gordie is too flabbergasted to find the nickname annoying. “And your number one fan! I’ve known you your whole life, cared for you, raised you. Don’t you think I should understand you by now, sometimes better than you understand yourself?”

“I - I guess?” Gordie stammers, not really certain if he should think that or not. “Well, either way…this was actually really helpful. Thank you, Mum.”

Gordie’s pretty certain that the wavering tone in her voice as she says he’s welcome is authentic.

Maybe he’ll have to visit her in person soon.

For now, though, he hangs up, using the excuse that it’s getting snowy and slippery, and he needs to hurry home.


	4. Chapter 4

Gordie spends the next couple days turning his mother’s words over in his head. He knows he wants something that speaks to his future with Aviva - but what, exactly?

The first thing that comes to mind, while he shovels the walkway to Chandelure’s Chapters, is a ring - and although he can see himself giving her something like that eventually, he figures that their first Valentine’s together might be a bit…early for a gift of that magnitude.

Similarly, he considers, shaking rock salt down outside the bookstore’s doors, one of the many Pokeball-themed ornaments with a message of  _ I Choose You!  _ Engraved somewhere on it is commonly reserved for couples who are getting engaged. 

Gordie sighs and sets the bag of salt down, frowning over at his Coalossal, who is busy simultaneously helping spread some of the rock salt around and melting any lingering ice with his body height.

“Don’t suppose you have any ideas for what I should get Aviva, huh, bud?” He asks.

Coalossal grumbles at him, shrugging its huge shoulders, and Gordie sighs. He really shouldn’t expect that his Pokemon should have the answer to his problems if he himself didn’t.

A brief movement in the window of Chandelure’s Chapters catches Gordie’s attention, and he turns towards the sight. There, limned by frost, he sees Aviva, pausing and picking up a book that a customer had left in the reading nook. Minerva, her Mismagius, sneaks up on her from behind, then embraces her fondly. Aviva jumps at the surprise, but then laughs, turning around and holding her Ghost-type partner Pokemon tight.

Gordie can’t help but smile at the sight, even though his skin is crawling slightly. Aviva had probably gotten used to the sensation over the years, but the memory of Minerva’s recent embrace still makes him shudder. 

If only Aviva had something small and fluffy to hug, he thinks - then realizes  _ she _ had more or less said that, herself.

What if he got her a Pokemon for Valentine’s, Gordie wonders? She’d lamented their lack of soft and fluffy Pokemon more than just that one time, after all - the time his Barbaracle tried to hug her comes to mind - and if he can find something cute and fluffy and, perhaps most importantly,  _ small _ , it could be something for them to raise together.

A symbol of their future.

“Cooall?” Coalossal murmurs, drawing Gordie out of his thoughts.

“Sorry, buddy, we’re almost done here,” Gordie says, flashing his best smile at his Pokemon. “Just got…distracted for a minute.”

His Coalossal sighs, little sparks coming out of his nose as he rolls his eyes in what Gordie is certain is meant to be a teasing manner.

“Hey - here’s another question for you,” Gordie says, moving to the far end of the walkway and shaking some rocksalt down there, too. “Do you think there’s any Ghost type Pokemon that are…how to say this,” Gordie frowns. “Not  _ ghostly?  _ Like, more corporeal than anything?”

“Loss, lossal,” Coalossal grunts, mimicking sipping tea.

“Okay - yeah, I guess there’s Sinistea and Polteageist,” Gordie admits with a nod. “I was thinking more…something fluffy, though. Cute. Something that you might want to cuddle.”

Coalossal once again shrugs its huge shoulders, and Gordie frowns, pursing his lips.

He resolves to check the Internet - and his Pokedex - once his work out here is done, though he has the sinking feeling that, for the most part, all ghosts are, truly, Ghosts.

* * *

“Gordie?” Aviva’s voice murmuring to him as she rolls over in bed pulls Gordie out of his thoughts. He’s vaguely aware that he’s broken out in a cold sweat, despite the comfortable heat of the blankets around him.

“Yeah, Vi?” He asks, turning away from the bright light of his Rotom Phone, where he’d been researching Ghost-type Pokemon.

“Is everything all right? You’re not usually on your phone late at night like this,” Aviva says around a yawn.

“Yeah, no, everything is fine. I’ve just sort of fallen down an internet Buneary hole, you know?” Gordie laughs, clicking his phone off and putting it on its wireless charger.

“Oh?” Aviva asks, moving into his arms. “What Buneary hole is that, exactly?”

“I was just reading up on Ghost-type Pokemon,” he explains, still feeling rather clammy. He hopes that Aviva doesn’t hear the way his heart is hammering in his chest. “Wanted to learn some more about your specialization and all. You know. And I guess I just got sucked down into reading Pokedex entry after Pokedex entry.”

“That’s cute,” Aviva says, already half-asleep once again. It’s not long until he hears her breathing even out as she drifts back into unconsciousness once again.

Gordie, for his part, is up for a good, long while, wide awake and regretting his decision to research Ghost-type Pokemon. He’d felt better about spending time with Kayuki, Aviva’s Froslass, when he  _ hadn’t _ known that the species was renowned for bringing frozen, handsome men back to their caves and lining them up neatly before eating them. He’d also, somewhat foolishly, considered looking up Banette, since they were supposed to have a soft, plush body; perhaps he could help Napkin, Aviva’s Mimikyu, evolve for Valentine’s Day? Learning that the tiny Pokemon would have to move into the body of a discarded child’s toy which would be brought to life by the sheer vindictiveness harbored within had eliminated that idea rather quickly.

In fact, the only Ghost-Type Pokemon with so much as a slight amount of fluff on them are Sensu Oricorio, Drifloon, and Drifblim. Oricorio seems the logical choice; it is, after all, arguably the most non-malevolent Pokemon Gordie has read about today. But, unfortunately, it - along with the two Balloon Pokemon - are not eligible for ownership within Galar’s borders.

Gordie lets out a sigh and does his best to fall asleep, despite his certainty that he will have dreams of climbing a cold mountain at night, or - perhaps worse than that - accidentally pulling off Panchito, Aviva’s Mimikyu’s, covering.

Gordie’s last thought for the night is that the woman in his arms is fearsome indeed, worthy of respect and awe, to take such Pokemon under her wing.

* * *

The snow is bad enough the next day that the entire city of Circhester is, more or less, put on hold. It’s rare that the city closes due to snow, but it’s also rare that they see three days straight of it, coming down heavily. Gordie had been slated to take on a few Gym Challengers in the afternoon, and although he feels bad that their matches will have to be postponed, he’s also sure that his manager will work some magic and find new time slots for them next week.

For the most part, though, he’s just elated to have some time off with Aviva. There’s something absolutely delightful about an unexpected morning with her, cooking breakfast together.

“Looks delicious already,” Gordie hums, approaching Aviva from behind and wrapping his arms around her waist.

“I agree,” Aviva smiles, spearing a bit of the hash browns she’s cooking in a fork and presenting one to him. He blows on it for a second, then chomps down on it. Delicious.

“Shuuuuhhh.” An otherworldly whining has Gordie nearly jumping out of his own skin; was Napkin about to enact some sort of vengeance on him? But no, Gordie realizes, it’s just his own Shuckle, worming his way across the floor and whining about the fact that nobody is feeding  _ him _ any hash browns.

Arceus. Scared by his own berry fermenter.

“Oh, what’s the matter, little guy?” Aviva laughs, bending down and picking up Shuckle. She hugs the little bugger close, nuzzling into his yellow noggin. “You want some, too?”

“Shuuuuh,” Shuckle nods, nestling into Aviva in turn. Gordie watches, amused, as his partner laughs, then spears a hash brown and presents it to Shuckle.

“Don’t worry,” she winks at Gordie. “I won’t put this fork back in the pot after that.”

“Good, because who knows where this guy’s mouth has been - or what he’s tried to put in his shell,” Gordie laughs.

“This little guy?” Aviva grins, tapping Shuckle affectionately on the head. “The cuddliest Rock-Type Pokemon I’ve ever seen? He would  _ never _ get into gross stuff.”

Gordie can’t help but chuckle; he knows Aviva is fully aware of exactly the kind of gross stuff Shuckle could get into now and then. In a way, he figures, it evens out; her Ghost-Types might have some spooky proclivities, but his Pokemon had their quirks, too. What’s important is that they all accept and love the members of each others’ teams.

It’s not until later, when he and Aviva have sat down to dine on their breakfast, that it hits Gordie.

A cuddly Rock-type Pokemon.

Aviva would  _ love _ that. And he’s pretty sure he knows just what to get her.


	5. Chapter 5

Within two days, Gordie has managed to get in touch with the Route Five Pokemon Daycare owners, who have, in turn, put him in touch with a young woman who exclusively breeds Rockruffs.

“Oh, a gift for Valentine’s?” The young woman beams over the phone. “Of course I can help make that happen! I’ve got two litters that will be good to go by then; if you want, you’re more than welcome to swing by and meet the pups, see if there are any that catch your eye.”

“That would be phenomenal,” Gordie admits, and soon sets about finding a pen and paper so he can jot down the directions to the Rockruff breeder’s house. He’ll probably just put her address in his Rotom Phone anyway, but still, he’s old enough to know that having the route written down on paper can be helpful just in case, too.

Gordie makes it out to the Breeder’s house the next day. He feels slightly guilty; he’s abandoned his Gym Trainers’ Training session in favor of catching a Corviknight Taxi. None of his Trainers had seemed to mind, though, with each of them encouraging him to go. He’s not sure if it’s because they really want him to get the perfect gift for Aviva, or because they plan on doing absolutely ridiculous, completely unsafe things now that he’s gone - but he really hopes it’s just the former.

Either way, Gordie figures, watching the frozen world slip by beneath him, it’s not like he takes time off his Gym Leader duties often. But this time, both he - and his Gym Trainers - know exactly how important this is. And, perhaps most importantly, with only two weeks to go until Valentine’s, there’s not a moment to spare.

Gordie’s unable to keep himself from bobbing his foot in anticipation the whole ride over, certain he’s found exactly what he’s looking for. He tips his taxi driver profusely, then hurries down Route Six, following his Rotom Phone’s instructions on how to find the breeder’s house. The whole while, he can’t help but get himself more and more excited; the red, rocky surroundings are absolutely perfect for Rockruff to be born and raised in! Surely, the pups are bound to be extremely high quality!

Except as he sits in a pen with nearly a dozen tiny, adorable puppies crawling all over him, he finds that, somehow, something is still missing.

Arceus, Gordie wonders as he holds up a tiny bundle of fluff who licks his nose enthusiastically. What is  _ wrong _ with him?

“I have some bad news,” the Breeder says, stepping back into the room. “I just received a phone call from a Coordinator over in Sinnoh, and she’s taking the last three Rockruff I had available.”

Gordie sits, frozen in place, with a squirming bundle of fur still in his hands, not really sure what to say in response. Despite himself, he feels a strange sort of relief bubbling up inside his chest. He’s not sure he would otherwise have been able to turn down one of these adorable balls of fluff, despite them not being quite what he’s looking for - through no fault of their own.

“Oh, that’s all right,” Gordie says, setting the puppy down and petting another. “I’m glad they’re all going to good homes.”

“I appreciate that,” the breeder says, her face flushing in embarrassment. “But I’m extremely sorry for bringing you all the way out here when I don’t even have any pups available, anymore.”

“Oh - you shouldn’t feel bad, you had no way of knowing,” Gordie says amicably.

“If you want, I could always tell her that there are only two available? I’m sure she could make do,” the breeder offers. 

Gordie frowns. In one sense, he knows he should accept the offer and take one of the Rockruffs - he likely won’t find others who are as well-bred, as adaptable to becoming either a domestic friend or a battling partner or a working Pokemon. On the other hand…an idea is beginning to form in his mind.

“Actually,” he asks, eyebrows knitting together. “Do you know anyone with a shiny Rockruff puppy?”

The breeder’s eyes widen a moment.

“Oh, is that what you’re looking for? Well - I do know someone, but….you should know that a shiny will be…very expensive,” she says tentatively.

“I know,” Gordie says, well aware that he can expect the sum to slide into seven, possibly even eight, figures.

But he’s well-paid as a Gym Leader in what is arguably the most competitive - and commercialized - Pokemon League in the entire world, and though it’s not a fact he likes to flaunt, it certainly is something that comes in handy now and then.

“Well,” the breeder says, shifting from foot to foot rather anxiously. “If that’s what you’re interested in…then, yes, Professor Kukui in Alola just had an unusual litter of Rockruffs - I think he’s been trying to isolate the gene responsible for shininess, to be honest. Either way,” she says, realizing she’s rambling. “He’s always been pretty into Rockruff and Lycanrocs, so he’s got two shiny Rockruff puppies right now. You’d have to pay to import them - and for them to go through Galarian customs, but…”

“Do you have his number?” Gordie asks, feeling his heart begin to hammer in excitement once again.

* * *

Gordie’s practically bursting to deliver the news to his Gym Trainers the next day. To his relief, Circhester Stadium is still standing; if they had gotten up to any hijinks in his absence, it’s nothing he’ll ever learn about.

“Arceus, I should have known,” Abigail says with a teasing laugh, shaking her head once Gordie is finished with his story. “I’m over here suggesting things like fancy dinners and cruises, and Mr. Extra over here decides to buy a whole  _ shiny Pokemon from Alola.  _ If I’d suggested something so over-the-top from the get-go -”

“It’s not  _ that _ extra,” Gordie protests.

“It’s pretty extra, boss,” Oliver speaks up.

“All right, it’s…at least a little extra,” Gordie admits with a laugh. “But at least  _ this _ time, I’m being extra out of love, right? So it’s different than the other times.” He fiddles with the extremely large piece of gold jewelry he wears around his neck subconsciously.

“Yeah, something like that,” Kiera laughs. “We’ll give you a pass this time, because the important thing is that Aviva is going to love it.”

“And the second most important thing,” Wendy says playfully. “Is that you never,  _ ever _ tell us how much that little Rockruff wound up costing you. We’ll never let you live it down if you do.”

“Valid,” Gordie laughs in return.

“One question, though,” Oliver, ever one to have a level head, chimes in. “Is the little guy gonna get here before Valentine’s Day? And if so, how are you gonna keep him a secret until the fourteenth?”

“Well,” Gordie says, rubbing the back of his neck somewhat sheepishly. “I was…kind of hoping that one of you guys might be interested in Rockruff-sitting for a couple days?”

The clamor that erupts as all of his Gym Trainers beg and plead to be the one to get to take care of the incoming ball of fluff warms Gordie’s heart. His Trainers may know just how to tease him to get a reaction out of him, but at the end of the day, they’re always there for him.

* * *

The next two days are spent obsessively checking the tracking on Aviva’s Rockruff - but only when Aviva, herself, isn’t looking.

In a way, Gordie has to admit, it’s a bit bizarre, checking tracking on a living creature. He stays in touch with Professor Kukui throughout the process, though; the Alolan man is extremely friendly, although Gordie’s not sure he’s ever been called “brother” so many times in his life - even by his own siblings.

Finally, though, the tracking notifications update, stating that the Rockruff is being cleared by customs and given a full medical examination. Gordie crosses his fingers that the paperwork Professor Kukui had sent with the little guy would be enough, and, with nothing else to do, loses himself in the Gym Challenge battles he’s scheduled to fight.

When he steps back into Circhester Stadium’s holding room, exhausted from his battles, he’s greeted by Aviva’s arms wrapping around him.

“You were brilliant out there, you know,” she says, holding him close and planting a kiss to his cheek.

“I didn’t know you were watching, Vi,” Gordie beams, holding her tight. “Thank you so much for coming out to support me.”

“You know I wouldn’t miss a match,” Aviva says, then pulls back and pats him on the chest. “You and your Pokemon really hit an amazing groove out there, you know.”

The two chat for a moment about the battle before Gordie ducks out to the locker room to go shower (mostly at Aviva’s insistence, though he can’t blame her for not wanting to hug him again while he’s all sweaty). While he’s in the locker room, about to undress and hop in the shower, his Rotom Phone starts buzzing.

“It’zz Galarian Cuzztoms!” His Rotom announces.

Gordie answers it in a hurry, heart hammering in his throat.

“Hi,” he says breathlessly, praying to Arceus that there had been no problems.

“Hi, is this Gordie?” The person on the other end of the line asks.

“It is,” Gordie confirms.

To his extreme relief, the customs officer announces that Aviva’s Rockruff had passed the medical examination and officially received his Galarian license and registration.

“That’s - that’s phenomenal news,” Gordie breathes. “Is there a way I can set a proxy to come and pick the little guy up for me?”

He makes eye contact with Oliver across the locker room as he says the words, and Oliver flashes him the thumbs-up.

“Of course,” the officer says, and begins to take him through the process.


	6. Chapter 6

From there on out, everything seems like smooth sailing.

Oliver manages to pick the little guy up, and sends frequent updates about the shiny Rockruff to Gordie by text. More than a couple times, he even brings the Rockruff to the Gym; Gordie is beyond elated to see that he’s even more adorable in person than he had been in Kukui’s pictures of him.

“Aviva is gonna  _ love _ you,” Gordie grins, holding the pup up adoringly. The Rockruff barks, wagging its tail, and gives Gordie a big lick on the cheek.

Still, as confident as he is that Aviva is going to love the Pokemon, he’s nervous, too. A whole new Pokemon  _ is _ a big commitment, after all, and if Oliver’s texts are anything to go by, puppies need a lot of attention.

The closer Valentine’s Day draws, the more Gordie is aware of his own anxiety. He’d been so certain this was the perfect gift just a few days ago…but what if, for all of Rockruff’s cuteness, it’s just too much? Or not really in line with what Aviva is looking for? She is a Ghost-type specialist, after all…

Finally, the big day rolls around, and Gordie is buzzing with energy. He’s barely able to sleep the night before, instead repeating his plans for the day again and again in his mind. He’s lucky to have the day off - and even luckier that Aviva had managed to close the shop for the day, to boot.

He just really, really wants  _ everything _ to go perfectly.

In the end, Gordie drifts off in the wee hours of the morning; when he wakes up to Aviva in his arms, it’s already mid-morning - far later than he’d expected it to be.

“Morning, love,” Aviva murmurs into his chest, where she fortunately cannot see the way his eyes widen in shock as he checks the time on his Rotom Phone.

It’s not lost on him that he has a few confused texts from Oliver, too; the poor guy had probably been expecting to get his cue to bring the Rockruff over by now.

“Morning to you, too, love,” Gordie says, doing his best to play it cool. He sets his phone to the side, opting instead to focus on the wonderful woman in his arms. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

He tips Aviva’s chin up to him, and they kiss sleepily for a long moment. Gordie loses himself in the kiss perhaps a touch more than he should, but he can hardly fault himself; after all, her lips are just so soft and wonderful.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Aviva says, smiling faintly as she pulls away from the kiss. A moment later a yawn escapes her, and Gordie takes his opportunity.

“Hey, why don’t you rest a minute while I make some breakfast for the both of us?” He smiles, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“You’re sure?” Aviva says around another yawn. “I really should get up and cook  _ with _ you…”

“Breakfast in bed sounds more romantic to me,” Gordie says. “I insist.”

Just like that, Aviva melts, pulling him into one last kiss before settling her head back against her pillow, looking like an absolute angel as her eyelids flutter closed.

“If you insist,” she mumbles.

Gordie clambers out of bed, grabs his Rotom Phone, and hurries into the kitchen, texting Oliver along the way.

_ Sorry - we slept in _ , he writes.  _ Can you make it over here in about 30 minutes? _

When Oliver writes back in the affirmative - he’d apparently been staking it out at that new cafe down the street - Gordie feels a rush of relief.

He really owes the guy for all this.

Gordie has to force himself to focus on the task at hand while he cooks; he’s honestly so nervous about whether or not giving his partner a shiny Rockruff is too much, he’s worried he’ll burn some of the food. But everything goes smoothly in the end, and soon, he has a delicious meal assembled.

A text from Oliver follows soon after, declaring that he’s at their apartment door.

Gordie opens the door as quietly as possible, grateful that all his - and Aviva’s - Pokemon were in their Pokeballs at the moment. They’d let them out and make delicious meals for them later, of course - but for now, at least, it’s a relief to have some privacy.

“Little guy is sleeping,” Oliver whispers, holding the puppy like a baby in his arms. “Here.”

Carefully, Gordie accepts the Rockruff, cradling him gently.

“Oliver, you have no idea how much I owe you for all this,” Gordie whispers, hoping not to wake the sleeping Rockruff. It’ll be cuter if Aviva gets to meet him while he’s snoozing.

“You don’t owe me anything,” Oliver says quietly, waving his hand as if to dismiss Gordie’s concerns. “You’ve done plenty for me and my career, you know. I’m just happy to be able to help  _ you _ a little for a change. If anything, though - I’d love to get to come over and see how the little guy is doing, sometime. I got kind of attached to him over the past few days.”

“I’m sure we can arrange for you two to see each other again,” Gordie whispers, a smile spreading across his face.

“Cool. If you guys need a dog walker…I’m your man,” Oliver says, then steps back from the door, flashing Gordie a thumbs up as he goes. “Happy Valentine’s, Gordie. I’m sure Aviva is going to love him.”

“Thanks, Oliver,” Gordie says, waving farewell as he steps back, too, closing the door.

Gordie glances down at the Rockruff in his arms, still snoozing away in that deep, deep puppy sleep. He can’t help but smile as he makes his way back into the kitchen, grabbing a small basket he’d tucked in a corner the night before. It has a little blanket in it; gently, he puts the puppy down in the basket, then covers him up with the little blue blanket. The little Rockruff stirs in his slip, his paws and nose twitching, then makes a cute sound and, mercifully, keeps on sleeping.

Gordie carefully lifts the basket in one hand, then grabs Aviva’s plate in the other.

When he returns to the bedroom, Aviva is scrambling back into bed - with a small, wrapped box in hand.

“I guess you caught me,” she laughs. “I’m awake. I’ve been hiding this from you for the past couple weeks, though, and it’s been  _ killing _ me, because I think you’re gonna love it. Er - well, at least, I hope you do.” She laughs, shaking her head and letting her hair fall over her shoulders. “Either way. Happy Valentine’s, Gordie. Trade you the plate for the box?”

“Deal, Vi,” Gordie smiles, swapping the food for the gift. Very gently, he sets the basket down on the bed; Aviva raises an eyebrow at it, but Gordie’s already busy unwrapping the little box. Inside is a sleek little black box - the kind that  _ might _ hold jewelry.

For a moment, Gordie’s stomach drops out. Should he have gotten her a ring or something similar, after all?

But when he opens it, he finds that it’s not jewelry at all. Inside is a high-quality stand with a museum-grade sample of what he’s pretty sure is meteorite.

“Arceus,” he curses, pulling out the certificate of authenticity beneath the specimen. “Aviva, is this -”

“Meteorite from Mount Moon,” Aviva confirms just as he reads the label on the certificate. “And not just any meteorite - this is a sample from that big stony-iron meteorite that fell a couple decades ago, the one that attracted all the lunar Pokemon and all the media attention.”

“Holy shit,” Gordie swears, reading through the certificate quickly. It agrees with Aviva’s description on its origin, and even contains a breakdown of its components - it’s an exceptionally rare mesosiderite meteorite composed of 25% nickel, 25% iron, and 50% silicate-Moonstone matrix. “Vi - I’ve been looking for  _ any _ sample from Mount Moon, but this is like - it’s the motherload! It’s every rock collector’s dream!” He can’t help but laugh aloud, he’s so amazed and stunned. “How did you  _ find _ this?”

“A woman has her ways,” she says mysteriously.

“Well,” Gordie laughs, shaking his head as he closes the box, holding it close. “I might need you to teach me your ways sometime. But until then - thank you  _ so  _ much.” He leans in and kisses her on the lips, one of his hands sliding to the back of her head to hold her close. “I’ve been looking for a piece of this meteorite since I was a kid.”

“I know,” Aviva smiles, then pulls him down into another kiss. “It wasn’t easy to find - I spent a  _ lot _ of time following leads and chasing this down - but I really, really wanted you to finally have this in your collection.” She kisses him again, and Gordie can only smile against her lips, then pull away laughing.

“Thank you  _ so much _ , Vi. I’m almost dizzy, thinking about how sweet it is that you remembered that this is one of my dream rocks -”

Before he can get further, a small yawn interrupts him.

Gordie watches as Aviva glances towards the basket on the bed; then, he follows her line of sight, and watches the little blue Rockruff puppy poke his head out from underneath the blue blanket.

“Well,” Gordie laughs. “I was going to introduce him to you myself, but I guess this little guy has decided to say hello. Happy Valentine’s, Vi.”

There’s a moment of silence as Aviva stares, dumbstruck, at the little basket. When she doesn’t reach for it, Gordie’s heart begins to do backflips in his chest. Did she not like it?

But after a beat, she turns to him, her eyes shimmering as if she’s about to cry.

“Is this little guy for  _ me?”  _ She asks, her voice wavering as she speaks.

“He is,” Gordie affirms. It’s as if his words have broken her from a trance; she reaches for the basket, drawing it closer across her sheets, then lifts the little puppy from within, still mostly swaddled in his blue blankets.

“Oh, Arceus, he’s  _ adorable _ ,” Aviva says around a sob, holding the puppy up. “And - he’s shiny, isn’t he? Oh, Arceus, he’s  _ shiny _ .” The sleepy little Rockruff yawns again, then comes to life, beginning to wiggle and whine, reaching for Aviva. A squeal of delight tears its way from her throat, soon dissolving into quiet sobs as she holds him close.

“You like him?” Gordie asks, encouraged.

“I love him,” Aviva wails, though the largest smile ever is plastered across her face. Incredibly, it only grows larger as the puppy wiggles in her arms, turning to lick her cheek. “He’s so cute! He’s so fluffy! He’s - he’s finally a baby I can  _ cuddle _ !”

“That was the idea,” Gordie says, realizing that  _ he’s _ smiling from ear to ear, too. “I’ve heard you mention how nice it would be if we had a Pokemon on either of our teams who was cute and small and cuddly. I…looked into cuddly Ghost-type Pokemon, but there’s not really a lot of options there,” he admits. “And…I kind of thought it would be nice for you to have a Rock-type Pokemon, since he’s from me and all. And he’s…kind of meant to symbolize the future that I want to have with you, raising him and all, and…I’m doing a bad job of explaining this,” Gordie mumbles, finally glancing away sheepishly and wishing there could be some way to hide his extremely red cheeks.

“Actually, I think you’re doing a great job explaining,” Aviva smiles; this time, when Gordie looks at her, he’s surprised to see that her eyes are shimmering with adoration and love, not tears. Then, the little Rockruff sets in on trying to lick her cheek again, and Aviva laughs, scrunching her face up. “He’s unbelievably adorable. He’s the most touching Valentine’s present I could have ever hoped for, Gordie. I love him already.”

“I’m so glad, Vi,” Gordie beams, moving in to give her another kiss. The little puppy tries to lick  _ his _ cheek as he does so, and soon, both he and Aviva are laughing. “Happy Valentine’s Day. And here’s to many, many more together.”

“That,” Aviva beams. “Sounds groovy to me.”

Gordie can’t help but laugh at the way the Rockruff barks in what almost sounds like agreement, then squirms in Aviva’s hands, beginning to wriggle his way out of the blanket.

“Does he have a nickname?” Aviva asks suddenly.

“Not yet,” Gordie smiles. “That’s up to you.”

“Oh, wow, that’s a lot of pressure,” Aviva says, though Gordie can tell she’s only half-paying attention, already too enraptured by the way the Rockruff rolls over on her lap, exposing his tummy for her to rub.

“Tell you what,” Gordie laughs. “Why don’t I let you think about it while I go heat up your plate again. There’s no way your breakfast can be warm anymore.”

“Sounds good, Valentine,” Aviva beams, and Gordie feels his heart flutter at the sight of her smile. This, he considers, watching her play with her little Rockruff, is a memory he will cherish for a long, long time to come.

Gordie sets his meteorite specimen down next to some other prized members of his rock collection on one of the dressers, then takes her plate and heads off to the kitchen. He re-heats both her food and his in the microwave, then returns to her, extending her plate to her.

“I think I’ve thought up a name,” Aviva smiles, taking her plate with one hand and rubbing Rockruff’s belly with the other.

“That was quick,” Gordie says, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “What is it?”

“Well,” Aviva says, smiling slightly. “I have kind of a literary theme going on for most of my other Pokemon, you know? They’re named after characters from works I’ve enjoyed. And this little guy is such a lovebug,” she says, giving his belly another scratch. “I was thinking…the name Romeo might fit him.”

“Romeo,” Gordie echoes, a smile spreading across his face. “That’s really cute, actually. And it’s perfect for a Valentine’s puppy.”

“Exactly! It fits his personality and the occasion. And, of course, it’ll be the perfect reminder that I got him from the most romantic man I’ve ever met,” Aviva adds gently, leaning her head on his shoulder as he settles next to her in bed once more.

“You flatter me,” Gordie chuckles, putting his arm around Aviva’s shoulders and holding her close. “I’m so glad you love him, though. You have no idea how nervous I was about giving him to you.”

“How could I not love him?” Aviva beams. “He’s perfect.”

“You’re perfect,” Gordie blurts in response before he really realizes what he’s said. His cheeks heat up slightly, but he doesn’t look away from Aviva. “I mean it. You’re perfect to me in every way, and I am so incredibly lucky to be the man who gets to be your Valentine and raise this Rockruff with you. I really look forward to seeing how he grows - and how you grow, too. You’re an amazing person, Vi, and you’re gonna do great things.”

“Gordie,” Aviva breathes, a dreamy smile settling across her face. “That’s - wow, I just - I don’t even know what to say to that.”

“That’s all right. Happy Valentine’s, Vi,” Gordie says, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek once more.

“Happy Valentine’s, Gordie,” she responds, turning to him and kissing him on the lips in response. Below, Romeo squirms and whines, letting out an excited whine. Aviva laughs, and tips her head against Gordie’s, stroking the puppy soothingly. “Happy Valentine’s to you, too, Romeo.”

“And welcome to the family,” Gordie adds, holding Aviva close.


End file.
